- Ronin announces a vast PvPvE gameplay test for the first quarter of 2026.
- An end-of-game design philosophy aims to retain the player long-term.
- The strategy combines Web2 accessibility with true ownership of Web3 resources.
Ronin hosted a packed Happy Hour at the YGG Play Summit with Jeffrey “Jihoz” Zirlin and creator Careful fresh off winning Content Creator of the Year at the GAM3 Awards. The conversation comes after a mighty week for Ronin, after the platform made money The best ecosystem AND Axie Infinity: Atia’s Legacy he took it The most anticipated game. Speakers used the stage to present design priorities and upcoming playtests.
Test plans, in-game design and economic risk
Jihoz said that the team will conduct a earnest gameplay test Q1 2026 focuses on a recent loop that connects PvP and PvE. He described coordinated dungeon drops, where teams fight in the center of the map and the last team standing wins. The team plans to try lasting consequences such as loss of equipment and destruction of the ship, arguing that real risk sharpens players’ decisions and activates markets.
Cagy argued that developers need to combine Web2 and Web3 learnings to reach a wider audience. He encouraged the creation of titles that attract mainstream gamers while maintaining true ownership features for cryptocurrency users. Jihoz reiterated this point and emphasized that the game must be noteworthy in itself for non-crypto gamers to engage with it.
Both speakers described first end game approach. Jihoz explained that the team starts working on high-level PvP systems and works backwards to early-stage content. He referred to classic hits where solid endpoint systems ensure long-term activity and market depth. The goal is to ensure sustainable player retention through attractive, high-level competition.
The session also included practical tuning. Jihoz said he is the co-founder of Sky Mavis Trung Nguyen intervened directly when it sensed movement during internal tests. The team tweaked the controls and animation to improve responsiveness and player feel, reflecting a programming culture that is rapidly changing core mechanics.
Speakers portrayed destruction as economic leverage. Cagy suggested that risking real NFTs in the fray increases the importance of the results. Jihoz added that kill mechanics and eternal losses create supply shocks and breeding incentives, which in turn stimulate secondary markets for items and characters.
The live segment included a demonstration of the in-game store, a flow of gold upgrades, and a boss encounter. The organizers invited creators to the stage, including the LATAM influencer We are and members Fishing frenzy project to test the current version and demonstrate community involvement.
Before the shutdown, Jihoz tied the week’s awards to continuous innovation at Ronin. He credited multiple projects with introducing distinct value models – play-to-earn, play-to-airdrop, risk-reward and proof of distribution – and argued that these diverse approaches combine to make cryptocurrencies useful for players around the world. He ended with a brief, confident line about Axie’s next chapter.
